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Arsenal have already completed a host of lucrative deals this summer, but could be set to sneak in one more in order to bolster their first team and comply with their youth-focused transfer style…

Who are Arsenal signing this summer?

With Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber having joined as part of Mikel Arteta's mini-revolution this window, all of whom are 24 or younger, it is clear the direction that he seeks to take the north London outfit just months after narrowly missing out on the title.

Therefore, the recent report from Italian outlet Calciomercato likely has some credence, as it details their efforts to sign young defender Josip Sutalo from Dinamo Zagreb.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

Although the outlet actually seeks to outline Ajax's progression towards a completed deal, with a fee of around €21m (£19m) touted, it is noted that there could be a late movement to snag the 23-year-old before his switch is finalised.

Football Transfers value the Croatia international at just €8m (£7m).

How good is Josip Sutalo?

Despite having only really featured in his homeland, aside from a brief stint in Italy, Sutalo still boasts a fine reputation across Europe as a stellar ball-playing asset capable of dominating and creating from the back.

It is, therefore, no surprise to see him linked with an Emirates switch, given the way Arteta's philosophy is built off the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes' exploits.

Should they decide to swoop in, it could provide ample cover for these two dominant defenders, who could be fearing for their starting spots in no time at all.

Especially given, when ranked against other centre-backs across Europe, Sutalo sits in the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90, the top 19% for tackles per 90 and the top 3% for blocks per 90, via FBref.

Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig praised his composure too, branding him a: "complete & elegant CB".

Such defensive excellence combined with an ability to stride out with confidence unsurprisingly draws comparisons with Laurent Koscielny, which Premier League News Now outlined by writing:

'Šutalo is very comfortable with the ball at his feet, be that when he is picking people out with passes or going on adventures driving up with the ball. He’s a good passer, both short and long but not spectacular as his passes come off slightly under-hit at moments. He’s composed and draws parallels to Laurent Koscielny'.

The Frenchman spent nine impressive years in north London, enjoying arguably his finest season at the club during the 2015/16 term. Maintaining a 7.31 average match rating, this was a figure buoyed by his insane ball progression alongside his solidity.

He would record an 87% pass accuracy, a 91% dribble success rate, 15 clean sheets as well as 3.8 interceptions and 5.6 clearances per game, via Sofascore, during that standout season.

These are statistics eerily similar to that of his potential successors during the 2022/23 campaign in the Croatian top-flight, as he maintained a 93% pass accuracy as well as two interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game, via Sofascore.

Widely recognised as one of Arsenal's finest defensive stars in recent memory – as Arsene Wenger sought to laud his compatriot back in 2011 after dubbing him a "special player" – should Sutalo bring half as much quality as Koscielny did, he would already be recognised as a success.

Two flawed but fearsome attacking units will go head to head in a mouth-watering clash at Anfield on Saturday evening

Anfield endured a dreadful game of football last Sunday. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp even felt compelled to criticise some of his own fans for failing to make some noise. The atmosphere shouldn't be an issue this weekend, though, with Anfield set to play host to what is likely to be a thrilling encounter with top spot in the Premier League on the line.

Encouraginly, Liverpool have already rediscovered the goalscoring touch that deserted them against a painfully defensive Manchester United last weekend, with the resurgent Reds routing West Ham 5-1 on Wednesday night to progress to the last four of the Carabao Cup. As it stands, only two teams across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues have scored more goals in all competitions this season than Klopp's men (63).

As for Arsenal, the key to their ascent to the top of the Premier League has probably been summer signing Declan Rice, who has added steel, class and composure to their midfield. However, it's worth noting that the Gunners have only scored one goal fewer (35) than Liverpool in this season's top flight, meaning Saturday's showdown on Merseyside could well descend into a shootout between two flawed but fearsome forward lines.

But which side has the better attack? GOAL runs through – and rates – Liverpool and Arsenal's star men below…

Getty Mohamed Salah vs Bukayo Saka

Mohamed Salah (9.5/10):

The best player in Premier League history? Maybe not yet but he's not far off. At the very least, the Egyptian is the undisputed No.1 right now. No player has been directly involved in more league goals this season than Salah (18), who has scored 11 times himself. At 31 years of age, he's showing no signs of slowing down – thanks to his incredible dedication to his craft – and remains the standard by which all other wingers in England are measured.

Bukayo Saka (9/10):

The heir apparent to the Egyptian king's throne, Arsenal's homegrown hero has also emerged as a similarly talismanic figure at the Emirates. Saka is, by some distance, the Gunners' most potent -and reliable – attacking weapon. He still has to work on his finishing (Saka's shot conversion rate in the Premier League is 14 percent; Salah's is 21 percent) but the 22-year-old has racked up more assists (11) in all competitions than any other Premier League player so far this season – and the scary thing for Arsenal's opponents is, he's only going to get better.

AdvertisementGetty Darwin Nunez vs Gabriel Jesus

Darwin Nunez (7/10):

What on earth to make of the spectacularly unpredictable Uruguayan? At times, 'Captain Chaos' can look like a world-beater. At others, a complete no-hoper. Nunez showed what he's capable of with his match-winning cameo against Newcastle earlier this season and a subsequent good run of form established him as Klopp's first-choice No.9. However, there's absolutely no way he'd be starting now if Diogo Jota were fit. Nunez may have 14 goal contributions in all competitions but he hasn't scored in the Premier League since the end of October! The 24-year-old fan favourite remains a real handful because of his pace but it's becoming painfully clear that he's not prolific enough to spearhead a title-challenger.

Gabriel Jesus (7.5):

Somewhat similar to Nunez in that he's long been criticised for failing to score enough goals. He was meant to be Sergio Aguero's successor at Manchester City but ended up being deployed on the wing before eventually being allowed to leave. Still, despite his persistent fitness issues, Arsenal look a better side with Jesus leading the line and, in fairness to him, he's scored freely in the Champions League this season. However, it would be remiss not to mention that he's only been involved in four goals in the Premier League (five fewer than Nunez), which explains why Arsenal continue to be linked with other centre-forwards.

Getty Luis Diaz vs Gabriel Martinelli

Luis Diaz (7/10):

He's been an incredibly tough few months for Diaz, whose parents were kidnapped in Colombia at the tail end of November. It would be weeks before his father was released and yet Diaz still came off the bench to score a precious equaliser at Luton on November 5. The usually-electric winger hasn't scored in the league since and hasn't registered a single assist in all competitions. It's hard to avoid the feeling that the kidnapping nightmare his family endured has understandably taken a serious toll on Diaz.

Gabriel Martinelli (7/10):

Klopp has never hidden his admiration for the Brazilian, once describing Martinelli as "the talent of the century" after a League Cup clash at Anfield. He's just as highly rated at the Emirates, of course, but there's no denying that he's struggled to replicate his very best form of late. Martinelli has just two goals and two assists to his name in this season's Premier League – a disappointing return for a player that struck 15 times last term.

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Getty The understudies

Liverpool's bench (8/10):

The Reds are definitely missing Jota, who is arguably the most instinctive finisher at the club. The Portuguese, who can pretty much play anywhere across the forward line, had scored eight goals in all competitions before being sidelined by a muscular problem. The equally versatile Cody Gakpo has had his own injury issues this season and hasn't scored in the league since September, which is why he's lost his starting spot, but the Dutchman did bag his seventh of the season in midweek. Harvey Elliott was outstanding in that game against the Hammers, proving that he's not just a great impact sub – he can also do a fine job filling in for Salah on the right-hand side when required. Teenage winger Ben Doak should turn out to be even more suited to that role but the Scotland Under-21 star is presently sidelined.

Arsenal's bench (7.5/10):

Eddie Nketiah is perhaps not the world-class striker that the Gunners are reportedly looking for but he has always done a decent job when asked to fill in up front. It's also worth noting that he's got five league goals – as many as Jesus and Martinelli combined. Leandro Trossard, meanwhile, has three to his name and while he didn't really excel when asked to replace the injured Martinelli on the left flank, he remains a good option off the bench, particularly as he has a decent eye for a pass. Academy products Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson have sparkled for Arsenal in the past but manager Mikel Arteta no longer appears to have much faith in either of them.

Honours were shared on a low-scoring opening day as Sri Lanka recovered from 61 for 3 at lunch to finish the day on a strong note

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Sep-2017Stumps Dimuth Karunaratne flicks behind square•Tom Dulat/StringerFollowing the nightmare that was the series against India, Sri Lanka’s batsmen applied themselves, saw out Yasir Shah, resisted Hasan Ali’s reverse swing, and mustered a day of unexpected competence in Abu Dhabi. Instrumental to fitting this innings with a backbone was Dimuth Karunaratne, whose 93 was the latest in a string of valuable innings this year.Sri Lanka had threatened to collapse again, going to lunch at 61 for 3, but the century stand between Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal raised them out of danger. Niroshan Dickwella then added a finishing spark to the day, hitting 42 off 63 balls, and Sri Lanka reached a comfortable – if not quite safe – 227 for 4 by stumps.The day had begun with so much promise for Pakistan – Yasir striking twice in that first session – but the bowlers could not manage a breakthrough in the second session. Hasan was intense in a seven-over burst of reverse-swing before tea, but though he drew an outside edge from Chandimal, and an inside edge from Karunaratne, a dismissal did not come. Late in the day, Chandimal was given out lbw for 58 when he shouldered arms to Mohammad Abbas, but that decision was overturned on review. Pakistan also burned their own reviews trying to get Yasir another wicket. Under the new rules, reviews are not replenished after 80 overs, so they are at the mercy of the umpires for the remainder of this innings.Karunaratne was not quite as reticent as the batsmen around him, but nevertheless, barely ventured an adventurous shot, relying instead on his favourite leg-side flick. Almost half his runs came in the arc between square leg and long on, and nearly two thirds on the legside in general. His was the only intentional boundary of the first session, and he would go on to hit only four more – three of them off short, wide balls behind square. Despite being short on boundaries, he appeared more or less at ease at the crease until he was run out seven runs short of a century.There was not a lot Pakistan’s bowlers could do, really. There was very little seam movement with the new ball. And though Yasir gleaned substantial turn towards the end of the day, the pitch was a long way from dustbowl – its green tinge persisting through the heat of a desert day. In this first post-Misbah-ul-Haq Test, they used a classic Misbah-era strategy: maintaining tight lines, and awaiting wickets.It was a partial success. Of the four blows Sri Lanka suffered, at least two were the result of the pressure Pakistan had built. Batting in his first Test since June last year, at No. 3 no less, Lahiru Thirimanne was kept scoreless for six deliveries, and on his seventh, attempted a slog sweep off Yasir Shah. He missed and was out lbw. Then, late in the day, Karunaratne was run out for 93, having faced two consecutive maidens from Yasir.The fault on that occasion, however, was Chandimal’s. Desperate to get off strike, Karunaratne had called Chandimal through as soon as he had flicked to midwicket. Chandimal was busy watching the ball, then turned his back on his partner. The single could have been comfortably taken.Chandimal’s own half-century was a long, laboured thing, though given the travails his team has experienced over the past three months, perhaps he will feel this is just the kind of knock he needed to produce. It took him 52 balls to move to double figures, and 154 to get to his half century. Where once Chandimal had been the man to inject energy into the Sri Lanka top order, he has more recently specialised in these kinds of slow-burn knocks. He finished the day on 60 not out, having faced 184 deliveries.Pakistan will not feel too disheartened by the scoreline, but will perhaps concede that Dickwella’s quick runs against the new ball perhaps mean that Sri Lanka are the slightly happier outfit at stumps. A flicked six over square leg, off Amir, was perhaps the most striking shot of the innings so far.But this is, in essence, Sri Lanka’s last specialist batting pair. They have made the unusual choice of picking five specialist bowlers for this match. But they still have some work to do with the bat before they bring their trio of spinners properly into play.

The left-arm spin-bowling allrounder is a like-for-like replacement for the suspended Ravindra Jadeja

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2017

India have brought in left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Axar Patel for the Pallekele Test, as a replacement for the suspended Ravindra Jadeja. He will be the third spinner in the squad behind offspinner R Ashwin and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.Axar is yet to make his debut in Test cricket, but has played 30 ODIs and seven T20 internationals. He has played 23 first-class matches and taken 79 wickets at 30.37. He has just finished playing the 50-over tri-series in South Africa with India A. He finished the team’s third-highest wicket-taker in the series with seven wickets in four games and an economy rate of 4.11.Jadeja was suspended at the end of the second Test for disciplinary issues; following an incident where he threw the ball at batsman Malinda Pushpakumara “in a dangerous manner” according to the on-field umpires. He was given three demerit points, taking his total to six demerit points inside a 24-month period which triggered a one-Test suspension. Incidentally, he was the Man of the Match in that Test for his his unbeaten 70 off 85 balls and second-innings five-for, following which he moved to No. 1 on the Test allrounder rankings, to go with his No. 1 rating among Test bowlers.The Pallekele Test begins on August 12. India have already won the three-match series, with victories in Galle and at the SSC.Updated India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund

Pakistan ensured they remained alive, beating South Africa by 19 runs via the DLS method to complete a turnaround only they seem to be able to manage

The Report by Danyal Rasool07-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:45

Agarkar: Complete performance from Pakistan

Never mind the damp conclusion; this is Birmingham in June, what did you expect? The weather shouldn’t detract from the fact that Pakistan pulled off an upset in the game of the tournament so far. It is a shame the contest wasn’t able to carry on till its natural conclusion, because it could have been the day the 2017 Champions Trophy finally came to life. Instead, it was the day Pakistan ensured they remained alive, beating South Africa by 19 runs via the DLS method to complete a turnaround only they seem to be able to manage, and with inexplicable regularity.Pakistan put on a vastly improved bowling display as they shackled South Africa’s batsmen to restrict them to 219. It might have been nearer 150 when Pakistan got rid of six South African batsmen inside the first 30 overs for 118, but David Miller, so often required only to provide late firepower, showed his all-round batting credentials. He anchored the innings with an unbeaten 75 off 104 balls. Hasan Ali finished with 3 for 24.It turns out you can open the bowling with two quality fast bowlers in England conditions, after all. Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan were tight and disciplined, bowling to a plan, meticulous in ensuring South Africa’s openers were not allowed width. Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock had to shuffle around to manipulate the ball past the inner circle, never quite looking as comfortable as they so often do. A superb opportunity to get a wicket was missed as early as the second over, with de Kock setting off for a suicidal single, and only Shoaib Malik’s inability to hit the stumps spared him.The seamers might have started well, but the spinners wounded South Africa. Imad Wasim – brought on inside the first Powerplay – removed Amla with his second delivery, the batsman missing his nudge off a straight ball.De Kock joined him soon after. He had survived an lbw shout off Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistan failed to review an lbw call that would have been overturned, but he hadn’t learned his lesson and missed a sweep off Hafeez. South Africa’s innings went from shaky to all-out panic just an over later, when captain AB de Villiers slashed Imad Wasim first ball straight to backward point. Pakistan suddenly had complete control of the game.Miller tried to take some control of the South African innings, stepping out to hit two sixes, but South Africa simply could not get partnerships going. Duminy and Parnell were victims of contenders for ball of the tournament, each pitching around off stump and tailing away. Duminy got an outside edge that carried to first slip, while Parnell could put no barrier between ball and off stump. South Africa were 118 for 6, and Pakistan were running through them.Chris Morris gave Miller some company as South Africa looked to get as close to 200 as possible, but there were no signs of the ragged death bowling that had been a feature of Pakistan’s performance against India. Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan were unplayable at times, bowling reverse swinging yorkers almost on demand.Miller was able to hold his side’s innings together though. It was a small win in an innings where Pakistan had the upper hand almost from start to finish. Other than Morne Morkel’s bowling, it was the only positive South Africa could cling to on a day even the most conniving spin doctor could struggle to describe as anything other than a disappointment for the world’s top-ranked side.Set 220, Pakistan approached the run chase the way modern teams have been doing all around the world, but coming from Pakistan, it still felt like a novelty. Fakhar Zaman was clearly given a job to do, but actually doing it against Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell under gloomy skies on debut is altogether different. He was dismissive of any width, slashing the ball through the covers and behind point at every opportunity, and even creating width when there wasn’t any to smash the bowlers square of the wicket either side.But it’s the nature of quick hitting that it is always likely to be ephemeral. Morkel, whose place in the side has been a subject of such debate of late, reigned in a galloping Pakistan. Both openers were dismissed in one over as the tall fast bowler exploited both his variation and the bounce he invariably seems to generate on every surface. That over was followed by 20 straight dot deliveries as South Africa neutralised Pakistan’s flying start and came roaring back into the game. Morkel’s opening spell reading 5-1-7-2.Hafeez and Babar Azam were stuck with negotiating the sustained pressure the bowlers were putting on them by now, the renewed energy in the fielding side palpable. Both were hanging around without ever looking especially comfortable, and South Africa always seemed to be on the cusp of a wicket. That arrived, somewhat inevitably, with the second ball of Morkel’s second spell, as Hafeez tried to pull one that grew too big on him, leaving Imran Tahir to take his second catch of the evening.Rather than add pressure on Pakistan, that somehow relieved it, and what followed was their most free-scoring spell since the first six overs. Rabada and Morkel went for two boundaries each in their subsequent overs, and by the time rain intervened, Pakistan were 19 runs ahead on the DLS equation. That was good enough, on a day an unfancied Pakistan side had generally been exactly that.

The official broadcaster of the Champions Trophy, Star, has written to the ICC outlining its concerns regarding the uncertainty over India’s participation in the tournament

Nagraj Gollapudi04-May-2017The official broadcaster of the Champions Trophy, Star, has written to the ICC outlining its concerns regarding the uncertainty over India’s participation in the tournament and the consequences that could have on advertising revenue.In the letter to ICC chief executive David Richardson, Star said it needed clarity so that it could reassure advertisers who had paid money to buy space during the Champions Trophy, but were now worried that India would pull out.It is understood that Star asked the ICC to make a public statement to clear the air and state how it was trying to resolve the situation. Though the tone of the letter was not alarming, the ICC top brass is making sure Star’s concerns were dealt with. It is understood Richardson called up ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, who said he would speak to the broadcaster himself.In 2014, Star had won broadcast rights for 18 ICC tournaments between 2015 and 2023 in a deal understood to be worth in excess of $2 billion. The eight-year contract included two World Cups in 2019 and 2023, two Champions Trophies in 2017 and 2021, and two World T20s in 2016 and 2020.The uncertainty over India’s participation in the upcoming Champions Trophy stems from the BCCI missing the April 25 deadline to send its squad to the ICC. The BCCI said at the time that the delay was due to “operational” reasons, but the issue is also linked to the board’s unhappiness over events at the ICC Board meetings in April.At the ICC Board meetings, the BCCI was outvoted overwhelmingly by other ICC members and the new constitution, governance changes and financial model was approved. The BCCI’s biggest grouse was with the financial model, because according to the new one it stood to receive a significantly smaller share of ICC revenue. Since then there has been talk of the BCCI using the Champions Trophy as a bargaining chip to get a greater share of the financial pie.However, a day after Star sent the letter to the ICC, the committee of administrators appointed by the Supreme Court of India to supervise the BCCI sent an email to the board’s acting secretary asking it to convene a selection meeting immediately to pick the squad for the Champions Trophy.The BCCI is expected to take a final decision at a special general meeting (SGM) in Delhi on May 7. A part of the board, including its acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, was in favour of revoking the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) signed with the ICC.If the BCCI does revoke the MPA, then India will not be able to play any ICC tournaments until 2023, when the cycle of rights held by Star end.The CoA, however, made it clear to the BCCI that the vote at the SGM needed to be unanimous, and if any decisions that were not in the “interests of Indian cricket” were taken, it would ask the Supreme Court to intervene.

West Ham United are set to make a bid for relegated Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, according to transfer insider Dean Jones, in a move that would potentially deal a huge blow to young midfielder Flynn Downes.

What's the latest on James Ward-Prowse to West Ham?

There was always going to be plenty of interest in Ward-Prowse this summer, given his Premier League quality in a now-relegated Southampton side.

With that said, according to Football Insider, the Hammers and Tottenham Hotspur are the clubs leading the way for his signature, with the former now preparing to make their bid, as per Jones.

The reliable journalist told GiveMeSport:

"I do think they'll make a bid for Ward-Prowse and I'll be surprised actually, if they don't, they definitely like him."

Meanwhile, back in May, The Sun suggested that it would take £40m to take the England international away from St Mary's Stadium this summer.

James Ward-Prowse would be bad news for Flynn Downes

After playing just 753 minutes in the Premier League last season – the equivalent of a little over eight games – the potential arrival of Ward-Prowse should definitely worry Downes.

He arrived at the London Stadium full of hope last summer, though knowing that, still only young, breaking straight into David Moyes' plans was far from a guarantee.

In March, Moyes spoke about the 24-year-old's lack of game time:

“We’re trying to give Flynn the opportunities at the right time.

“We’re pleased with what he’s doing [but] we think there are things he can improve on.

“But it’s not easy breaking into the Premier League from the Championship and if you look at the people who’ve done it, it can take a bit of time. We hope he continues to develop and we’re happy for him.”

Pre-season usually provides that opportunity for young players, and Downes will likely have his chance to shine for the Hammers before the Premier League gets underway. But, can the former Swansea man compete with a player of Ward-Prowse's experience combined with ability?

The Southampton captain was involved in 13 goals in the league from midfield last season. Downes, meanwhile, didn't manage a single contribution in all competitions all campaign.

It all comes down to what Moyes wants from his midfielders, however.

Ward-Prowse – who former teammate Oriol Romeo once hailed as an "unbelievable player" – will certainly offer goals, leadership and the added edge of being one of the best set piece takers in the country. Yet, contradicting that, will he bring defensive stability?

With the pending departure of club captain Declan Rice, can the Hammers afford to go all-out attack in the middle of the park? Their near escape from relegation suggests that the answer to that question is a firm no, which could leave Downes well and truly in the thoughts of Moyes.

Defensively speaking, as per FBref, Downes makes more blocks and tackles, and loses the ball less per 90 than Ward-Prowse.

It's a case of a safe, more conservative option versus a more exciting, more eccentric player, and it all comes down to how much Moyes is willing to risk.

It could even be argued that there's room for both.

After all, West Ham don't just have their top-flight status to worry about next season following their qualification for the Europa League, having won the Europa Conference League.

With the Hammers forced to battle the European front, Downes will feel the pressure to impress with the likely limited opportunities that he does receive, should Ward-Prowse indeed arrive this summer.

Half-centuries from Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan buoyed Bangladesh after Umesh Yadav made light work of the top order

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu11-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:02

Kalra: Shakib snatched the momentum away from India

India made light work of the Bangladesh top order before fifties from Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mehedi Hasan Miraz hauled the visitors to 322 for 6 in reply to India’s 687. Bangladesh’s most experienced batsmen, Shakib and Mushfiqur, sparked the resistance with a 107-run partnership off 165 balls. Mushfiqur and the 19-year-old Mehedi, who scored his maiden half-century, then saw off the second new ball and stubbornly played out a wicketless post-tea session.Glaring errors on the first two days had put Mushfiqur’s wicketkeeping and captaincy in the spotlight. On the third afternoon, his running was in the spotlight, and he was frequently caught ball-watching early in his innings, but he overcame it to progress to an unbeaten 81.When Shakib danced out and drilled R Ashwin to mid-off in the 50th over, Mushfiqur was late to respond to his partner’s call for a single. Ravindra Jadeja hunted the ball down and speared it to Wriddhiman Saha, who broke the bails. Mushfiqur had brought out a desperate full-length dive, but his bat had popped up in the air momentarily. The shoulder of the bat was seemingly on the line when the bail came off the groove. Chris Gaffney, the TV umpire, ultimately gave Mushfiqur the benefit of the doubt. He was on 18 at that point.Mushfiqur then accumulated with sweeps while Shakib reached his maiden Test half-century against India off 69 balls. The scorecard will tell you Shakib hit 14 boundaries, but it was a chancy innings throughout. He repeatedly drove away from the body against the seamers and often drove out of the footmarks against the spinners. The century stand ended when Shakib skipped out and heedlessly dragged a catch against the spin to mid-on.It was a repeat of his fateful shot against Mitchell Santner on the fifth day in Wellington in January when the Test was on the line. This time he gave Ashwin his 249th wicket in Tests. He was kept waiting for the 250th.Mushfiqur Rahim brought out a variety of sweeps against the spinners•AFP

A sure-footed Mehedi took over from Shakib and ably complemented Mushfiqur’s patience. Mehedi claimed 51 of the unbroken 87-run stand for the seventh wicket after Jadeja had removed Sabbir Rahman ten minutes before tea.Mehedi dared to club Ashwin over midwicket and even picked a carrom ball and drove it exquisitely through cover. He got to his fifty when he late-cut Ashwin for four in the penultimate over of the day. In the last over, Mushfiqur became the fourth Bangladesh player, after Habibul Bashar, Tamim Iqbal, and Shakib Al Hasan, to reach 3000 runs in Test cricket.Things weren’t as rosy for Bangladesh in the morning session. Tamim fell in the third over of the day, taking on Umesh’s arm from the deep. A mix-up resulted in both Tamim and Mominul Haque stopping near the middle of the pitch while running a second. Umesh swooped in from long leg, attacked the ball, and fired a throw to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the bowler, who collected and under-armed adroitly onto the stumps.In addition to being uncertain while running between the wickets, Mominul was uncertain outside his off stump. Virat Kohli reinforced the slip cordon and even posted a silly mid-on to apply more pressure. Mominul’s tentative stay ended on 12 when Umesh trapped him in front with reverse-swing.Mahmudullah survived a tight lbw call on 6 off Bhuvneshwar with India’s review of Joel Wilson’s on-field not-out decision returning umpire’s call on leg stump. He managed to regroup to put on 45 with Shakib before Ishant Sharma had him lbw with an inswinger for 28. This time Wilson raised his finger, and Mahmudullah coaxed Shakib and reviewed only for ball-tracking to suggest it would have grazed leg stump.

And they’ll have to balance those aims with that of winning the series which is tied after two games

The Preview by Arun Venugopal in Mohali22-Oct-20161:10

‘Goal is to win the series’ – Southee

Match facts

Sunday, October 23, 2016
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)Landscape-gazing from an airplane window is a fascinating exercise, mostly because the topography of each city tells its own story. While Dharamsala has gorgeously irregular shapes, with its jagged hills and silent valleys, Delhi’s tightly-packed clusters paint a chaotic visual. New Zealand’s performance in the first two ODIs mirrored these patterns.There was one big innings in between several small ones in Dharamsala. Then the bowlers banded together and found redemption in a panicky finish in Delhi. The 1-1 scoreline may offer temporary respite, but for New Zealand to pull ahead their batting needs to go beyond the twin-prongs of Tom Latham and captain Kane Williamson. Should they replicate the consistency of Chandigarh’s neatly carved, symmetric landscape in their performances, they would have done their job.India, on the other hand, won’t worry over the Delhi loss. MS Dhoni’s grouse about the absence of big partnerships may be justified, but the middle and lower-middle orders didn’t look entirely out of depth. Kedar Jadhav was very good before Hardik Pandya’s bravado, in the company of Umesh Yadav, almost took them home. India will want to win the series, but in making allowance for the younger players to make mistakes, learn from them and find their feet in their respective roles, they could also keep the bigger picture of the Champions Trophy in mind.

Form guide

India LWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WLWLW

In the spotlight

Kedar Jadhav has provided excellent value for money in this series. He is very new to the role of part-time bowler but has delivered wickets on order in both the games. Then he smashed a 37-ball 41 on a sluggish Kotla surface where batsmen struggled to score quickly. If Jadhav could be moulded into a finisher alongside Pandya, he would count as among India’s biggest gains from this series.Tom Latham has the most runs for New Zealand on the tour. He also has the most fifties. While he carried his bat in Dharamsala, his dismissal against the run of play in Delhi slowed down his team’s scoring rate. With the middle order not pulling its weight, Latham will be expected to bat deep into the innings again.Kedar Jadhav has been making the most of his run with the team•BCCI

Team news

India’s media manager Nishant Arora confirmed Suresh Raina, who has been recovering from a fever, wasn’t travelling with the squad. This could mean Jadhav getting an extended run in the middle order. Rohit Sharma trained with no apparent discomfort after he seemed to suffer a cramp in his left arm during the second ODI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahJames Neesham was seen having a long bowl in the nets. With the Mohali pitch not as dry as Delhi’s, he might come in place of Anton Devcich. Tim Southee ruled out resting Trent Boult or Matt Henry as part of New Zealand’s workload-management strategy for the rest of the series. New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Corey Anderson, 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 James Neesham/Anton Devcich, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Matt Henry

Pitch and conditions

Southee said he was pleased to see some grass on the pitch in Mohali, although not much could be read into that considering the venue has traditionally been good for batting in ODIs. In the afternoon, head curator Daljeet Singh and Dhoni were seen having a long chat, following which the light roller was used on the pitch.

Stats and trivia

• India have won three of their last four ODIs in Mohali
• MS Dhoni needs 22 runs to become the third wicketkeeper to 9000 runs in ODIs. Kumar Sangakkara and Adam Gilchrist are the other two.
• Kane Williamson has the highest aggregate (396 runs) for a New Zealand batsman in a five-match ODI series. Ross Taylor is second on the list with 375 runs. Both batsmen achieved this during New Zealand’s tour to England last year.

Quotes

Ross [Taylor] has had a difficult Test series, but he is a class batsman. Every cricketer goes through form slumps. He is obviously disappointed and he wants to leave with runs. We know there is a big score around the corner for him.
Anil [Kumble] doesn’t talk a lot about technique, but mentally he helps a lot. He talks a lot about the mental frame of mind even when you are not playing in the XI. His batting tips to tailenders, especially, have been very crucial as well.

Alex Moir had taken 6 for 155 against England in Christchurch in 1951. Sixty-five years later, Colin de Grandhomme took 6 for 41 to finish with the best figures by a New Zealander on debut; Pakistan were bowled out for 133

The Report by Shashank Kishore17-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:36

Fernando: Vintage New Zealand medium-pace bowling

It was a tale of two debutants on a fascinating day of Test cricket where ball dominated the bat. Although the final analysis of 13 wickets for 237 runs would suggest a menacing surface, the truth was that a lot of batsmen, especially from Pakistan, were out poking or trying to play expansive drives. New Zealand fared much better with the bat, and held the aces as the first Test moved forward at a breakneck speed despite an entire day being washed out by rain in Christchurch.Colin de Grandhomme, the Harare-born Auckland allrounder who had previously taken just one five-wicket haul in 83 first-class games, had the best figures (6 for 41) by a New Zealand debutant. It meant Pakistan, sent in to bat, were rolled over for 133. Misbah-ul-Haq, captaining his country for the 50th time, top scored with a typically feisty 31 off 108 deliveries during the course of which he proved it was the top order’s impatience and not a menacing Hagley Oval green top that contributed to their downfall; no other batsman crossed 20.In reply, Jeet Raval, the other debutant, replacing Martin Guptill, overcame a testing new-ball burst to finish 55 not out as New Zealand recovered from early losses of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to end on 104 for 3, trailing by just 29 runs. Playing late and committing himself wholeheartedly to his strokes, both off the front and back foot, he picked off seven boundaries and looked at ease even as his partners largely struggled; particularly against Mohammad Amir in a probing opening spell that read 6-2-6-1.Things could have been much worse for New Zealand had Henry Nicholls, replacing Luke Ronchi, not substituted flamboyance for grit and patience to finish unbeaten on 29. The fourth-wicket pair added 64, but in blunting out 19.4 overs, they ensured New Zealand had limited the new-ball damage to potentially make run-scoring a lot easier on the morrow.The surface demanded patience which Pakistan clearly lacked, as their top order crumbled after a solid 31-run opening stand that frustrated New Zealand. In trying to bowl full and swing the ball late, their new ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent Boult either slipping the ball down the leg side or bowl it full and wide in the first hour as Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali went into their shell, seemingly happy to blunt the new ball.Ina ddition to a half-century on debut, Raval also took two excellent catches in the slips•AFP

Then Williamson turned to de Grandhomme’s seam-ups over Neil Wagner’s bustling pace, and the move worked immediately. After two poor overs in which he sprayed the ball, de Grandhomme broke through when he scythed through Azhar’s defence with an in-dipper. The old adage of ‘one brings two’ ensured when Southee, brought back form the other end, sent back Aslam, who jabbed hard to get a thick edge to Raval at second slip.Babar Azam was reprieved on 4, but couldn’t curb his instincts of trying to drive on the up as he was also pouched in the slips. When Younis Khan’s flashy cover drive to a delivery he could have left alone off de Grandhomme was pouched by Raval in the cordon, Pakistan had sensationally slipped from 31 without loss to 56 for 4.Pakistan slowly rebuilt through a 32-run stand, but the lunch break came to New Zealand’s rescue as Asad Shafiq, demoted to No. 6 after a fruitless stint at No. 3 in the UAE, poked one to gully. Sarfraz Ahmed tried to unsettle the bowlers by walking outside the crease, giving bowlers the charge and play a typically aggressive game. Not even being hit on the helmet by a steep bouncer altered his approach. Eventually a tame waft resulted in a simple catch at gully to a relieved Todd Astle, who put down a chance earlier in the day.Watching the carnage unfold, Misbah continued to bat on in the hope that he would find some support from the tail. But such was the nature of Pakistan’s collapse that Williamson resisted temptation to give his faster men a break, and go for the kill. Boult and Southee overcame insipid starts to finish with two wickets apiece.For a while it looked like New Zealand’s top order would match Pakistan’s indiscretions. After Tom Latham was lbw to Amir, Williamson, in particular, fell tamely when he pushed away from the body – neither attempting a punch nor a full-blooded cut shot – to be caught at slip. Ross Taylor, all at sea against Sohail Khan’s late away-swing, was snaffled down leg side to extend his lean patch to 10 innings now to open up the game.With over 25 overs left, two more wickets then may have tilted the scales Pakistan’s way. That it didn’t was largely due to Raval’s steadfast determination and Nicholl’s grit that capped off an eventful day.